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Sunday, October 30, 2016

Today I bring you my first unit of Hearthguard or Hirdmen for my Viking force for Saga by Studio Tomahawk.

As you can see they are a smaller unit than the Warriors, numbering four models instead of eight. There is the option in the rules of combining two units of Hearthguard into one larger unit as long as they are uniformly armed and do not number more than twelve models.

I wanted them to be more heavily armed than warriors, so unlike warriors, they all have chainmail. Not only did I want them visually better armoured, I also wanted them a bit more elaborate. With so much chainmail, this was hard, so I opted for shield transfers.

Therefore, the Hirdmen all have shield transfers with elaborate designs that reflect their social/warrior position with in the force.

These transfers are from the Little Big Men Studios. They are really nice and I like them a lot, but they are a headache to attach. I think mine were an old batch, because the adhesive would not detach from the plastic covering layer.

In the end, through patience and perseverance, I managed to attach four transfers to four shields, but I lost several before I found a functional way and I had to buy another set!

Well I hope you all like them. Next week come the Berserkers! I will divide this project into several posts due to time restrictions.

Saturday, October 22, 2016

I have interrupted my Viking project posts to show off many newly arrived Conan Kickstarter.

I have been waiting for this for around a year and a half I think. Overall I think it was worth the wait. I bought into the Barbarian Pledge, which at 90 dollars is super bargain with all the unlock stretch goals.

The firsts pictures shows just how big the parcel is. The box was slightly damaged, but the contents were OK. I have included a Space Marine for scale purposes.

As you can see below, along with the game box, I got another box full of stretch goals, besides all the add-ons I bought.

The contents of the game box for the standard game (Barbarian Pledge) is packed with stuff. The quality is high and the miniatures are great, but not all the miniatures are as defined as their sculpts and renders. This is especially obvious with the dainty female models.

The other box contains mostly miniatures with the same quality and slight definition problems. It also has extra boards, cards and scenarios from the unlocked stretch goals. Personally, I wished all the stretch goals were just miniatures!

My favourite figure though is the big sea monster! This piece is a true gem and is screaming out DIORAMA!

I am dying to start painting some of this stuff, but I have to refrain and soldier on with the Vikings and my Merkava diorama.

So overall I am super happy with it all, but I am slightly disappointed with the lack of definition with some of the models. I will have to compensate with the painting I guess.

That is all for today. See you in 7, until then farewell and good health.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

I have finally finished my first unit of Viking warriors for Saga! Painting them is fun, but they take up way more time than say a Space Marine or Algoryn.

This is because they are wearing a variety of clothes, and variation is key in order to make them interesting.

Nonetheless, I kept the painting as simple yet neat as possible; with only two to three levels of shading.

The same principle was applied to the shields. The warrior shields are all basic colour patterns taken from historic sources. Some simple highlights and a brown wash around the edges was all they needed to create interest.

Finally, I got to paint the leader of the band. This was the miniature I operated on in order to make him taller. You can see the post HERE. I gave him a red top of hair so he would stand out more. The blue and white pantaloons also lend a hand. I have had this model for over 20 years sitting in my cupboard. Finally I can see him painted up and put to good use.

Next week I will start on my first unit of hearth-guard. So before I hit the painting desk, farewell and good health to one and all.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

After completing the first phase of my Sylvan Army, I decided to do the same with my Viking Warband for Saga. I am tired of playing with unpainted miniatures and I have decided that the situation has to change!

Phase One of this project will consist of building up a standard 4 point army for Saga. This will consist of one warlord, two warrior units, one hearthguard and one berserker unit.

In Phase Two I will add another warrior unit and hearthguard unit, besides another variant warlord.

Today, though I present my warlord. I have yet to find an appropriate spine- chilling name that floods fear into the heart of any monotheistic, knee-bending, fear-stricken religious layman christian nutter - nonetheless I think he strikes an awesome figure without a name.

The painting is neat with a enough highlights and lowlights to create interest without overburdening me with extra work. I will keep to this formula and standard for the rest of the force.

I also think using two or three figures for the warlord base gives the aesthetics of the game more depth and interest. I got the idea from browsing through the rulebook and at other wargaming hobbyist's blogs - a great source of inspiration.

Well, if you like what you see please stick around as more will be coming this month.

Next week I will start working on my first unit of warriors. Until then farewell and good health.